Leon, along with all the first-year students, stood in the assembly hall of EHHS. The hall was decorated by the upper-year students, giving the first-years the feeling that they were some sort of VIPs. Then, a tall guy with a charming face stepped onto the stage, grabbed the mic, and said,
"My greetings to all the first-year students here. You all passed both the physical and written exams to reach this position. Now, I request the Student Council President to give our first-year students some motivation to start their journey."
As soon as they heard that the Student Council President was coming, all the first-years started gossiping.
"You know, I heard the Student Council President is really pretty."
"Yeah, I even heard her personality is as cold as ice."
"I hope she becomes my girlfriend."
On the other hand, Leon was confused. Why are they overhyping her so much? He started looking around, trying to get a glimpse of the president.
"Everyone, be quiet," said a girl wearing the same uniform with a red badge, indicating she was part of the student council.
Her eyes were dark red, and her white hair gave her an icy aura. She looked about 17 years old, with a curvy body and a cold, unreadable expression.
"I am Alexia Midgard, the Student Council President of EHHS."
The students immediately started whispering loudly again.
"She's even prettier than I expected!"
"I want her so badly!"
"That slut is gonna steal every guy's heart, and we'll be left with nothing," a girl muttered angrily.
But where was Leon?
Leon was already standing in front of Alexia on stage, taking her picture with his points tracker device. Then, as if nothing had happened, he said, "Sorry for the interruption, you can continue," and jumped back to his original spot.
Alexia was surprised—she hadn't even sensed his mana when he came up. But her face remained unreadable.
Leon glanced at his device screen:
[Name - Alexia Midgard]
[Race - Human]
[Mana - 3500]
[Points - 13 Billion Points]
[Fighting Style - Swordsmanship]
Leon's eyes widened. 13 billion points? She's insanely strong.
Alexia continued her speech.
"You all are here to begin your journey as Entity Hunters. Some of you want strength, some want to protect your loved ones, and some just enjoy fighting. Everyone has their own reasons, but you need to understand both sides of the coin. Becoming an Entity Hunter is like throwing yourself into hell. If you're ready for that, welcome aboard. Otherwise, you can leave now. No one will call you a coward, this is your life."
Her words and serious expression shattered many students' arrogance. Some backed off and left, but many stayed, determined to continue.
"Good. Now go to your classes. Your teachers will give you the next instructions."
As everyone started leaving, Leon also turned to go. But suddenly, two students with the same red badge grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Harassing me on my first day?!"
"Shut up, you cocky bastard. How dare you interrupt the president and get on stage?!"
"Reika, Kazuki, leave that kid alone," Alexia said in her usual cold tone.
"Yes, ma'am."
They let Leon go. Stretching his body, he sighed, "Thanks, ma'am. I'll be leaving now," and casually walked away, humming.
Alexia watched him go. What a strange kid.
---
The teacher walked in, holding a bunch of papers.
"Good morning, students. I'm your class teacher, Dr. Smith. I'm going to announce which house you belong to and who's in your squad. This squad will be your team until you graduate, so make sure to build a good bond with your comrades."
As names were called, some students cheered, happy with their squads, while others looked disappointed.
Meanwhile, Leon was asleep, dreaming about something unpleasant.
In his dream, a man in a black robe and mask, holding a scythe, was slowly walking toward him. Leon tried to escape but couldn't. He struggled to wake up, but it was impossible, until suddenly, he heard two voices.
"Hey, are you Leon?" they both asked at the same time.
Leon's eyes shot open. A boy was standing way too close to his face, smiling.
"Hello, good morning!"
There was a short pause.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH, GHOST!!"
Leon fell from his desk, his head hitting the ground hard. Groaning in pain, he looked up.
"Are you okay?" the boy asked, concerned.
"WHO THE HELL GETS THAT CLOSE?! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF GAY?!"
The girl next to him barely held back her laughter and offered Leon a hand. "Don't fight, we're a team now."
"Huh?" Leon was still half-asleep and had no idea what was going on.
"I'm Hiroshi Nokawa, and this girl is Kami. We're in House D and part of Squad 12," the boy said with a cheerful smile. He had orange hair, a good-looking face, and an energetic aura.
The girl, Kami, was blonde and beautiful, with a calm demeanor.
"But... we're a trio, not a squad," Leon pointed out.
"It's because we were the last three left after all the other squads were assigned, so the teacher just put us together," Kami explained.
Leon noted that both of them had Japanese names. Kami means 'God'? Kinda fitting for her looks... But that's not the point here.
"What are your stats?" Leon asked.
"Here, take a look," Hiroshi said.
[Name - Hiroshi Nokawa]
[Race - Human]
[Mana - 350]
[Points - 6,790]
"And here's mine," Kami added.
[Name - Kami]
[Race - Human]
[Mana - 430]
[Points - 4,800]
Then, Leon showed his stats. Both Hiroshi and Kami were stunned.
"You... You have no mana?" Hiroshi asked in shock. "That's impossible! Even the weakest mana count in history was at least 5!"
"This doesn't make any sense," Kami muttered.
Leon just smirked.